AMU VC rubbishes charges of suspended student unio

Aligarh: Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University on Monday trashed charges of the suspended student union president that he was serving interest of a political party, saying it was a blatant lie and he was against politics at the campus.
Vice Chancellor Lt General (retd) Zameer Uddin Shah denied that he had tried to persuade the student leader to join Congress.

"The allegation that I am forcing student leaders to join Congress is a blatant lie and should be treated with contempt," the VC said.

"I have no political affiliations. My loyalties are only to the institution. When I met Shahzad Alam on the eve of Union HRD Minister of State, Jitin Prasada`s visit, he declared that he was going to join the Bharatiya Janata Party," he said.

Shah claimed he had advised the student leader against joining politics.

"I merely advised him not to indulge in political activities while holding the office of the Students` Union because, traditionally, AMU Student`s Union leaders are not supposed to associate themselves with any political party," the vice chancellor has said in a statement.

Shahzad Alam was suspended yesterday on charges of leading violent agitations at the campus and his "rowdy behaviour".

Later, Alam told reporters that on the eve of Prasada`s visit, AMU Vice Chancellor had tried to persuade him to join Congress.

He had also alleged that the Vice Chancellor had tried to dissuade him from raising the University`s minority character during the HRD Minister of State`s visit to the campus.

Rebutting the allegation that he had tried to prevent some Students Union leaders from meeting the minister and presenting a memorandum demanding the restoration of minority character for AMU, the VC said that he was himself actively pursuing the issue and so there was no reason whatsoever for him to "prevent anybody else from doing so".